The Cult of Ichor
by NEIWIS
Summary: Gwen remembered the story of the Cult of Ichor from her childhood. They were a cult that wanted to drink the blood of immortals to make themselves stronger, but they had been wiped out by a First Cohort raid. When the goddess Ceres disappears, the cult is suspected to have returned. Now, Gwen must go on a mission with two other centurions to find the cult and wipe it out.
1. I

**This story takes place two years before The Lost Hero.**

 **I hope everyone enjoys.**

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Gwen honestly did not know what to expect when she had been called into the late night meeting. The Fifth Cohort was still celebrating their win during the war games. Gwen assumed that there had been too much celebration, and someone in her cohort would be cleaning up after Hannibal the elephant.

It surprised Gwen when she walked into the Senate House and saw Jason Grace standing around. He looked just as confused as her. Gwen walked towards her friend.

Jason was no longer wearing his armor, but he still looked powerful. His blond hair was all out of place though. Despite his frazzled look, his blue eyes were full of alertness. Jason smiled slightly.

They were both centurions of the fifth cohort. The two of them had been trying to lead the cohort back to its former glory. Gwen also knew they were both being considered for praetorship.

Jason naturally seemed like a leader. Since his father was Jupiter, it only made sense that he would lead the legion one day. Everyone expected it, and Jason had been there longer than anyone who wasn't retired.

Gwen was being considered because of her father. He was a son of Mars which made her a legacy. Gwen's father had been a great praetor in his time, and it could be assumed that his skills had been passed on to her. All she wanted to do was make him proud.

"Do you know why we're here?" Jason questioned. He glanced around. Jason relaxed slightly as he realized they were alone. "I was trying to keep Dakota from the kool-aid."

"Good luck with that," Gwen said with a laugh. She smiled at Jason. "I'm not sure why we were called here though. Do you think someone got too rowdy?"

"No," Jason answered. He frowned as he thought. Gwen heard footsteps behind them and turned. She saw the two praetors walking towards them. They both looked troubled.

"Praetors," Gwen greeted as she studied the two. The boy that stood in front of them was sixteen. He had brown hair and hazel eyes. His name was Marcus, and he was a legacy.

The other praetor was a girl named Tamiah. She was a daughter of Victoria: goddess of victory. She had green eyes and dark hair. The praetors studied them. Marcus held a letter in his hands.

"We must speak quickly," Tamiah said. She glanced at the letter and sighed tiredly. "You may have noticed that Centurion Ramirez was not at the war games tonight, and she has not been around camp for the past few days."

Gwen nodded slightly. There was times when she worried about Reyna. The daughter of Bellona had only been at Camp Jupiter for two years, but she had already been promoted to centurion two months ago. Granted, the centurion before had been so terrible that anyone would have been better than him.

"We sent her on a mission to Wisconsin to investigate a disappearance. You two must swear to not speak a word of our conversation outside of this room," Marcus said. Gwen shot a glance at Jason.

"You have our word," Jason swore. Gwen gave her word as well. She watched the two praetors look at each other warily.

"Ceres has disappeared," Tamiah explained. Gwen barely kept her jaw from falling open in shock. "About a week ago, she left Mount Olympus to meet with a mortal. She has not returned since."

Gwen and Jason exchanged glances again. They weren't usually sent to find lost gods or goddesses. The scariest part was that someone actually managed to kidnap the goddess. It wasn't uncommon in the stories, but she couldn't recall any immortal that powerful being kidnapped in the modern day.

The biggest question that ran through Gwen's mind was simple. Why would someone want to kidnap the goddess of grain and agriculture? There could be extreme consequences if Ceres wasn't found.

"Lupa only told us that Ceres' last location was Wisconsin. We sent Reyna there to try and find any information about Ceres' whereabouts. Today, we received word from her," Marcus continued.

"Reyna went to the hotel that Ceres was suppose to meet the mortal at. She found out that a large group had rented the rooms near and around Ceres'. Reyna investigated one of the rooms," Tamiah finished. She handed them a flyer.

Gwen looked at it and did her best to make out the words. The paper was crumpled up like someone had stuffed it into their pocket extremely quickly. There was large, bold words, but it was Greek to Gwen. After a moment, she realize it actually was Greek. An address and time was at the bottom of the paper.

"Are you two familiar with the Cult of Ichor?" Marcus asked. Gwen looked at him and stared. The cult had been a problem when her father was in charge. He had tried to deal with them, but one of the members managed to escape and go underground. They had been a problem before that though.

"The founding member managed to stumble upon a training session of Mars and Bellona. He took some of the ichor that had fallen to the ground and ran before they noticed," Jason recalled. His face was screwed up in concentration as he tried to remember the story.

"He made a potion out of the ichor that was suppose to give him greater strength and speed. It was also suppose to make him immortal. He didn't die from drinking the potion, and he created a cult following because of it," Gwen finished.

"Since he was protected by Minerva, there was nothing the others could do," Marcus said distastefully. "When Minerva's protection passed, we thought they had been wiped out by an assault from the First Cohort, but it seems they're back."

"What is our job?" Jason questioned. He glanced at Gwen. She gave him a small nod of reassurance.

"Annihilate the cult," Tamiah answered. "Every member is to be killed, and Ceres must be free. We have already discussed this with the Senate, and they have agreed on supplies for you two and Reyna."

"Those have been packed and are waiting. You'll be taking a plane to your destination," Marcus said. "You may have to infiltrate the cult. We must do everything we can to avoid open war."

"We would rather avoid having to send a cohort," Tamiah added. "If word spread about Ceres missing, it could cause a panic."

Gwen nodded. They didn't need a panic with all the important events coming up. She glanced at Jason and spoke. "Praetors, is there anything else?"

"Be safe," Marcus answered. Tamiah glanced at him. Even though she didn't move, Gwen knew she was mentally shaking her head. They didn't trust anyone from the Fifth Cohort.

That might have been why they sent the two centurions from the Fifth Cohort. It could have been their way of playing a cruel joke. Gwen hoped not. Everyone liked to insult the Fifth Cohort because of their very long string of bad luck.

"You leave in twenty minutes," Tamiah said almost angrily. Gwen looked up as she was snapped out of her thoughts. Tamiah really had no faith in them, and she had done her best to not be obvious about it. That never worked though.

"When you get off of your flight, Reyna will be waiting for you," Marcus added. It seemed he had a little more faith in them. "Dismissed."

Gwen nodded to her two praetors. She turned and walked out with Jason. He glanced at her and spoke, "Ready to hit the road?"

"Do we need armor?" Gwen questioned. There was a chance they needed the extra protection, but they also couldn't risk being caught with it.

"Yeah," Jason replied. "We can always store it in our room if we can't wear it."

Gwen nodded her agreement. They both walked back to their barracks. As they walked in, everyone fell silent. Gwen stared at the scene in front of her.

There was a large cardboard box in the middle of the room. It looked like contraband, and the cookie in Dakota's mouth confirmed it. Sweets were strictly banned unless they were earned or came as a special treat during a meal.

"What is this?" Jason questioned. His tone was calm and cool. The son of Jupiter crossed his arms. Gwen watched her cohort in silence. It was a trick that they used often, but it worked very well.

The cohort hated to let them down. If Gwen didn't speak to someone, it was because they had disappointed her. When Jason was upset, he switched on a tone that made him sound like a scolding mother.

"We found it," the youngest member of the cohort answered. He was a child of Mercury and probably the one that had found it.

"Where?" Jason questioned. When he didn't receive an answer, he took a deep breath. "Where did you find the cookies?"

"The First Cohort's barracks," Dakota answered through a mouthful of cookie. Gwen and Jason glanced at each other. They came to a mutual understanding.

"The cookies better be eaten and all evidence gone by the morning," Gwen ordered. "Jason and I have to go on a mission, so we ask that you all are on your best behavior while we're gone."

All at once, everyone promised that they would. Gwen walked towards her bed and reached under it. Everyone lived out of a backpack. It was to help them with getting use to how they would sleep on a march, and frankly, it saved a lot of space.

There was a backpack for her clothes and another bag for her armor. She grabbed both of them and stood. A glance at Jason showed that they were ready. The others knew not to ask what they were doing. Details of missions were not to be disclosed until after the mission was completed. Gwen knew that everyone would suspect something big was going on by the morning.

"Ready?" Jason questioned. He was nodding quick goodbyes. Gwen said her goodbyes before following Jason out of the barracks. Her mind was racing.

It was unprecedented for anyone to take a plane while on a mission. That meant their objective was extremely important. Gwen was also worried that the cult was more dangerous than the praetors let on. If they were being rushed out to meet Reyna, it meant that the praetors thought Reyna was in danger.

"Do you have a bad feeling too?" Gwen wondered. Jason looked at her and nodded. "I think this is going to be a long mission."


	2. II

Gwen knew how important it was to sleep, but she couldn't bring herself to rest during the entire flight. There was way too many questions about their objective. She was also worried about being attacked by harpies.

It seemed almost like a ridiculous fear, but there was a good reason that Roman demigods stayed on foot. First, Romans were just a great infantry unit, and all of their training was geared towards moving swiftly and quickly on foot.

Romans also hated water. Even in the times of the empire, they did not have a large navy. Fighting on water was not very necessary or desired.

Gwen would never admit it out loud, but she also had a fear of water. Everyone knew about it. They were nice enough to not say anything. Some of them probably teased her behind her back.

There was a third reason that Romans liked walking. About thirty years ago, three Romans had been sent on a mission to find an old safe house. Their plane had been attacked by harpies. One of the harpies broke a glass window and tore a Roman out of the plane.

That was probably the biggest reason why Gwen couldn't sleep. She chose the seat next to the aisle, but the fear was still there. In contrast, Jason seemed right at home.

Everyone in the Fifth Cohort liked to call him Superman. Jason possessed the power of flying. He couldn't take off and fly around the world, but he was good enough to hover on air. It was pretty cool.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked looking at her. Gwen looked at him and nodded. Her nerves weren't as bad as before. Jason sat to her right and was closer to the window. If a harpy came and threw him out of the window, he could probably make it to the ground safely.

"I just keep thinking about the harpies," Gwen responded. Jason's face paled. "Were you also thinking about them?"

"I wasn't until two second ago," Jason answered.

"Oh, sorry," Gwen said. Jason nodded and shook his head. He took a small sip of his drink.

"What was in our bags?" Jason questioned. Gwen took a moment to bring the small list to mind.

"There was three vials of unicorn powder, a few hundred dollars to cover the hotel and food expenses, and keys to a car. There should be a car waiting for us at the airport. I have the license plate number in the backpack," Gwen replied.

Gwen reached into her pocket to make sure that she had her wallet. She was the only one who could drive. Gwen glanced over at Jason and studied him.

Both of her fellow centurions were fourteen. Gwen was eighteen years old. She had arrived at the legion when she was ten, and she had been a centurion for about two years. This wasn't anything new to her.

Her plan was to serve as long as she could. Gwen had already taken and passed all of the required exams for the college at New Rome, but to her, the legion came first. That was why she would probably go beyond ten years of service.

It wasn't weird that she would be working with two fourteen years old. It was something she was familiar with. If Gwen was being honest, she would say that both Jason and Reyna were mature for their age.

Jason had literally grown up in the legion. He was taught all these ideals about how a Roman should never show their emotions and always be older than they are. It seemed to have stuck, but that was only when Jason was working. He was extremely relaxed inside the barracks.

Reyna was a different story. She arrived at camp looking like someone had asked her to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. Gwen didn't know Reyna on a personal level, so she couldn't comment on if Reyna was different when not working.

When the pilot announced they were getting ready to ascend, Gwen felt herself going into work mode. They were walking into a mission with no idea of what to expect. Things could go very well or very bad. Either way, it would happen very quickly.

Gwen distracted her mind as the plane safely landed. Once the plane came to a complete stop, Gwen sent a silent thanks up to Jupiter for allowing them safe travel. She then unbuckled the seat belt and stood. Jason followed her example.

Gwen reached above them and grabbed the backpack that the Senate had given them. The backpack that held their armor was stuffed inside of a suitcase. It took some manipulation of the mist to get the weapons and armor past security.

Jason followed her out of the plane. For a moment, Gwen's sense were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people. She decided that it would be best to follow them.

They walked towards a machine that was dispensing their suitcases. Gwen spotted the two backpacks that had their clothes. She grabbed those and handed them to Jason. Gwen adjusted the backpack on her shoulder.

It only took a moment for Gwen to spot the most important item: their suitcase. She walked towards it and pulled it off of the belt. Gwen ran through a mental checklist to make sure they had everything.

The backpack on her shoulder held the items the Senate had given them. She had the suitcase which contained their weapons and armor. Jason had the two backpacks with their clothes. They were good to go.

"Where would Reyna be?" Jason questioned. Gwen didn't respond as she thought about it. It seemed most likely that Reyna would try to blend in or act like she was waiting for a parent.

Gwen's eyes shot around as they neared the exit. To her right, she saw a large line waiting to check their bags in. Reyna wasn't anywhere near them.

"There," Jason said. Gwen turned her head to the left. She saw Reyna standing and walking towards them. It seemed like Reyna had been waiting outside of a cafe.

Reyna walked towards them after glancing around. She spoke, "Ave. We need to move fast. I'm being followed."

Gwen exchanged looks with Jason. It wasn't good that they were being tailed. Gwen suddenly hugged Reyna and spoke into her ear, "Hug back."

After a moment, Reyna reluctantly did. Gwen spoke, "Our cover story is that we're a family."

"Alright," Reyna muttered. She was the first one to pull away. Reyna smiled at Jason, and he took a moment to smile back.

"We should get moving," Gwen said. She put a hand on both of their backs and led them outside. "Did you miss us?"

"I was enjoying the time by myself," Reyna answered. She lowered her voice. "Woman in the black business suit is our tail. She had a mole near her right eye. I've been tailed since the hotel."

"We'll talk more in the car," Gwen whispered back. She stopped walking long enough to reach into her backpack and grab the keys. A quick glance at a paper showed the parking lot their car was parked in and the license plate number.

Gwen led her fellow centurions onto a bus. It would take them to parking lot E, and it would also force the woman to lose their trail or get on the bus. The woman decided to do the latter.

When the woman sat in front of them, Gwen felt Reyna tense. She glanced at the daughter of Bellona and gave her a look. Reyna looked down and occupied herself by untying and retying her shoe.

Gwen looked at Jason and fixed his hair. She was able to look at the woman out of the corner of her eye. The woman was wearing a black business suit, and her face was buried in a manilla folder.

There was no suitcase at her side. Her black hair matched the suit, and her hazel eyes seemed extremely hungry. Gwen was forced to look at her as she looked forward, and it took half of a second to force a smile. The woman smiled back, but it just felt evil.

When the bus stopped, the woman did not get off. Gwen led her two companions off of the bus, and she saw their car immediately. The three walked towards it and threw their bags in the back.

"How are you doing, Grace?" Reyna questioned. Jason looked at her and genuinely smiled. Everyone in the Fifth Cohort knew that Jason had a crush on Reyna.

It was almost a running joke. They would tell Jason that he had to make the Fifth Cohort great again before he could date someone from the Second Cohort. Besides Gwen, no one seemed to notice how much that bothered Jason.

The son of Jupiter had a lot on his plate. Everyone expected great things out of him. He was suppose to bring the Fifth Cohort back to glory. That was why he was picked in the first place.

Gwen sat in the driver's seat. Even though Jason offered her shotgun, Reyna sat in the back. She handed Gwen a keycard for the hotel.

"Thanks," Gwen said pocketing the key. She turned on the car as Jason got in. Gwen started to drive. "You'll have to guide me."

"Make a right out of here," Reyna answered. "You'll drive for about ten minutes."

Gwen nodded and made the right out of the parking lot. She turned off the radio and spoke, "What can you tell us about all of this?"

"I was told to come here by the praetors," Reyna answered. "When I arrived, a mortal picked me up. They had a child who went to Camp Jupiter, so they were more than happy to help. I stayed at the hotel that Ceres was suppose to be in."

"I broke into her room, but it was untouched. The woman at the front counter said that the room had been paid for until the end of this week," Reyna continued. "Why would they need a hotel room though?"

It took Gwen a moment to realize that she was with fourteen years old. They knew about the subject, but they probably didn't know how sneaky the gods and goddesses got. Gwen took a moment to consider her answer.

"Hotels is the number one meeting place for immortals and mortals," Gwen responded. "They might meet somewhere in public, but any further interaction is most likely in a hotel. That's probably where your mom and dad conceived you."

A dark shadow passed over Reyna's face. The centurion looked out the window without another word. Gwen frowned and focused on driving. Jason glanced at her and didn't look like he had noticed.

"What are we going to do when we get to the hotel?" Jason questioned. He tried to hide his yawn.

"Sleep," Gwen answered. "I don't think we need to sleep in watches. We should all get a good night of sleep, so we can be rested for tomorrow."

"The room that we're in is on the floor below the one Ceres had," Reyna said looking back at them. "I broke into one of the rooms and found that flyer. I think it has some address for a meeting place."

"I wonder if there is any translators in town," Jason commented. Gwen smiled. Her companions were smart. While she didn't think the mission was going to be easy, she was going to enjoy it.

"Is there anything else you found out?" Gwen questioned.

"No," Reyna answered. She laid her head against the car window tiredly. Gwen shared the feeling. They needed to rest. Tomorrow would be a new day, and they would continue their investigation then.


	3. III

**Shadowhunter3803: I tried to answer your question within the last chapter, but Reyna is the centurion of the Second Cohort.**

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A good night of sleep was all Gwen needed. She was the first one awake and had already showered before her companions even stirred. Habit called for her to only take a ten minute shower, and that was a luxury for her. Most of her showers only lasted five minutes if she could get some hot water.

Dakota, a member of the Fifth Cohort, was a freaking shower hog. Despite how late he stayed up, he somehow woke up before all of them and took a shower. He also took up all of the hot water. Gwen had threatened to take away his kool-aid if he kept it up, and she was thinking about delivering on the threat.

Gwen was lost in thought and halfway through her coffee when she heard someone wake up. A glance up showed it was Reyna. The daughter of Bellona slowly sat up and looked around the room.

"Sleep well?" Gwen questioned. She had shared a bed with Reyna. Before Gwen fell asleep, she could feel Reyna tensing as if she was having a nightmare.

"Fine," Reyna answered a little too quickly. Gwen nodded and watched her. She wasn't going to pry. Reyna seemed like a private person, and it would be wrong to pressure her.

Reyna rubbed her eyes. She finally stood and spoke, "Is that coffee?"

"I made you some," Gwen answered. She grabbed a full cup that was on her right and held it out. Reyna took it with a grateful nod. The daughter of Bellona sat across from Gwen.

They both sat there and listened to Jason's snores. Gwen smirked and glanced over at her fellow centurion. She tried not to laugh.

"What is our plan for today," Reyna asked as she took a sip of her coffee. Her hand was shaking slightly, so she almost spilled the coffee. Reyna's nervousness was clear.

"Did anyone notice that you broke into the room?" Gwen asked. Reyna thought about it. Doubt slowly appeared in her face, but she finally shook her head.

"I saw that there was a bunch of flyers printed, so I grabbed the first one in the stack. The room was left exactly as I found it," Reyna responded. She looked up at Gwen. "Do you think one of them found out and decided to tail me?"

"I don't know," Gwen answered. She tried to think. It didn't make sense for anyone to follow Reyna. No one should know that she was a demigod. Gwen sighed as she thought.

"I can't think of a reason why they would have followed you," Gwen admitted. Reyna looked down. It was clear that the daughter of Bellona blamed herself. "Maybe, they found it suspicious that you did not have a parent with you."

"Or, they know," Reyna muttered. She crossed her arms and bit her lip. Gwen slowly placed a hand to Reyna's tensed arm.

"Don't blame yourself," Gwen ordered. "We're all walking into this blind. It will be okay."

"I know," Reyna said. "This cult has everything locked up tight. They're smart, so we need to be smarter."

Gwen nodded her agreement. She leaned back in her seat and relaxed. Reyna silently sipped on her coffee. They both sat there in comfortable silence.

Jason took five more minutes to wake up. His eyes fluttered open, and he slowly stretched. Gwen spoke, "Are you finally awake, sleeping beauty?"

"Very funny," Jason muttered. He sat up and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What are we going to do?"

"We will get breakfast and discuss our plans," Gwen responded. She stood. "You two can change. I will go scout out a restaurant."

Gwen stood and walked out of the room. She zipped up her jacket. A dagger was attached to the inside of her jacket, and it would be pretty easy to get to. Hopefully, she wouldn't need it.

After glancing around, she found no one else in the hallway. Gwen silently walked towards the elevator and pressed the button. It took twenty seconds of waiting for the elevator to open.

A man was waiting inside the elevator. He met Gwen's eyes. Someone placed their hands on her back and shoved her into the elevator. Gwen stumbled and tried to catch her balance. The man grabbed her arm.

Another person stepped into the elevator behind her, and the door closed. Gwen kept her eyes on the man in front of her. He seemed to be in his sixties. His hair was as black as his suit, and his eyes were a light blue.

"Your friend stole our flyer," the man commented. Gwen kept her eyes on him and kept her face emotionless. She knew playing dumb wouldn't get her anywhere, but the cover story needed to remain intact.

"Friend? Are you talking about my brother or sister?" Gwen questioned. The man studied her for a moment.

"Your sister," a woman whispered in Gwen's ear. A shiver ran down Gwen's spine as she felt a knife press into it. "What can you tell us about it?"

"I don't know," Gwen answered. Her voice shook. "She's a problem child, and I'm trying to break her of the habit."

The knife moved from her spine. Gwen let out a deep breath and spoke, "I'm sorry for what she did. I'll make her return it. Just please don't hurt her."

"We won't," the man promised as the elevator opened. Gwen felt the woman grab the back of her shirt, and she was thrown backwards. She fell to the ground and watched the elevator close with the two inside.

Gwen let out a breath. She hoped that the two bought the lie. If not, they could be in trouble. Gwen sighed and stood. She had been kicked out of the elevator on the second floor, but she wasn't going to risk anything. Her attention turned towards the nearest sign.

Gwen used the sign to locate the stairs, and she ran up them two at a time. She stopped on her floor and opened the door just enough to peek out. An elevator dinged. Gwen watched the man and woman step out of the elevator.

"Let me talk to the girl," the woman said as she gripped the knife. "Tell me you don't believe that story. I saw the tattoo!"

"I don't know what the tattoo means," the man admitted. "It is not a coincidence that the three have the same tattoo, but it does not automatically make them an enemy. We will have a discussion with the girl."

Gwen's mind raced. She reprimanded herself for forgetting the tattoo. It was such a simple thing, and it could cost them everything. Her mind went into overdrive as she watched the two walk away.

After a moment, Gwen pushed open the door. She hurried down the hall and stopped at the corner. Gwen peeked out. The man and woman were nowhere to be seen. It was like they had disappeared off of the face of the earth.

It took her a split second to make her decision. Gwen walked towards her room and opened it. She closed the door and looked at them. Gwen spoke, "Let's go to breakfast. Now."

"Something wrong?" Jason asked. Gwen nodded but put a finger to her lips. "Did you find a place to eat?"

"I heard there was a nice place across the street. Reyna, are you feeling any better?" Gwen asked.

"What?" Reyna questioned. Her eyebrows narrowed in confusion. Gwen gave her a look like go with it.

"Do you still have a fever?" Gwen asked in a concerned tone. Reyna seemed to pick up on it.

"Yeah," Reyna replied. "I think that I should stay here and rest. Can you guys pick something up for me?"

"We will," Gwen promised. She leaned in close and lowered her voice. "The cult is suspicious, and they know about our tattoos. I think they might try to confront you if we leave."

"What do you want me to do?" Reyna whispered. She met Gwen's eyes and seemed ready for anything.

"Jason and I are going to find a professor that can translate the flyer for us," Gwen replied as quietly as she could. "You need to act like you want to join the cult. If it gets dangerous, get out."

Reyna nodded. She took a deep breath and sat on the bed. The daughter of Bellona seemed like she was trying to remain emotionless, but it wasn't working. Her panic was clear in the tightness of her lips and the fact that her breathing was quicker.

"Hey, it's okay," Gwen whispered. She gently grabbed Reyna's shoulder. "You are going to be okay. Play it cool and calm down."

"The cultists won't know what hit them," Jason added. Reyna looked at them and took a deep breath. She nodded and relaxed slightly.

"Let's go," Gwen said to Jason. She sent one last nod back to Reyna and walked out. Hopefully, nothing would get out of hand.


	4. IV

Reyna stared up at the ceiling. She glanced at her shaking hands. It wasn't from the coffee. For the twentieth time in the last minute, Reyna looked at the door.

Everything in the room became clear to her. The bed underneath her was newly made. The bed on her right was still a mess. Jason should have known to clean the bed. It would have made life easier for the maid.

There was a table across from her. Their bags were underneath the bed. Reyna wanted to wear her armor, but she knew it wasn't the time. Yet.

The air conditioner kicked on, and Reyna almost jumped out of the bed. Her eyes shot towards the window. The curtains were moving slightly because of the air conditioner. A shaky breath left her.

Reyna's nerves were running wild. Truthfully, she didn't know what to think. When the praetors first approached her, she was proud. They trusted her to go solo on a mission even if it was only for a short amount of time.

The mission may not have seemed that important at first. Reyna assumed that Ceres just wanted a break from her fellow immortals, and she thought the praetors also assumed that. When Reyna found the flyer, everything became real and serious.

That's why the mission was so important. All Reyna wanted to do was prove herself. Being a daughter of Bellona was hard enough. Everyone assumed that she was the best fighter at Camp Jupiter. Reyna had already broken an arm trying to prove it.

This mission was her chance. Everyone would think she deserved her rank. They wouldn't keep whispering behind her back. Her mother would be proud of her, and she would actually take time out of her day to talk to Reyna.

Reyna closed her eyes. Two years of training had led up to this. Of course, there was the training with Circe, but that didn't count for much. Magic wouldn't help her. The Romans would turn on her if they knew.

It took a few moments to clear those thoughts from her mind. Reyna sighed deeply. The mission came first. She needed to stay focused on it. Her mind could no longer wander.

There was a knock on the door. Reyna's eyes snapped open. Her hand moved to the dagger underneath her pillow. She grabbed it, but after a few moments, she forced herself to let go.

"Housekeeping," a woman called as there was another knock. Reyna stood and contemplated whether the woman was really housekeeping or not. She walked towards the door and opened it. A fist slammed into her face.

Reyna fell back in pain and surprise. She tried to sit up as the door slammed shut. A woman kicked her in the face. Reyna's nose shattered on impact.

A knee slammed into her neck. Reyna gasped in shock and hit the woman's knee. The pain overtook her other senses and made it hard to think. Breathing was almost impossible.

A glance up showed that the woman was the same one from yesterday. The woman looked down at her and spoke, "We have some questions that you are going to answer. Understood?"

"I'll answer," Reyna choked out. The woman dug her knee into Reyna's neck more. The daughter of Bellona hit the woman's knee as desperation took over. No acting was required.

"Did I give you permission to talk?" the woman hissed. "You think that you can just break into our room with no consequences? If it was up to me, I would flay you alive."

"I'm sorry," Reyna cried. She gasped as the woman lifted her knee. After a moment, she slammed it back into Reyna's throat. That caused the daughter of Bellona to flip. She tried pushing the woman's knee away.

"Why did you steal it?" the woman demanded. "Give me the truth or else."

Reyna almost broke her cover right there. She couldn't breath, and a panic attack was inevitable. Reyna finally managed to speak, "Wanted to join."

The knee lifted her from neck. Reyna started coughing and gasping for breath. A hand grabbed her face and gripped it tightly.

"How did you find out about us?" the woman demanded. Reyna was too busy coughing to answer. She felt the knee start to press into her neck again. No lie came to mind.

"I just found it!" Reyna said quickly. Apparently, the woman didn't find the lie satisfactory enough. She slammed her knee back into Reyna's neck.

"Don't lie to me," the woman hissed. Reyna went into another coughing attack which almost turned into hyperventilating.

"Enough!" a man snapped. The pressure moved from Reyna's neck. She gasped in agony and tried to breathe. Her gaze moved to the man standing over her.

All she saw was a business suit that was as black as his hair. He looked down at her. Light blue eyes met her black ones. The man spoke, "How did you just find it?"

"Broke into room," Reyna wheezed. She coughed miserably. "I saw the flyer, and it caught my interest."

"How do you know ancient Greek?" the man asked. Reyna looked up at him. Since she could breath, it was easier to think.

"Picked it up from the classics," Reyna answered. "Library gets me out of the house. I don't have the best relationship with my parents."

The man nodded and held his hand out. Reyna slowly took it. She was pulled to her feet. It was still hard to catch her breath, and her nose was bleeding pretty badly.

"I'm sorry about my friend. She can be quite aggressive. Now, would you like to join us? You would have to turn your back on your family," the man said.

"I'm ready," Reyna answered. A black bag was thrown over her head. Before Reyna could freak out, she was thrown to the ground. Her arms were tied behind her back.

"This is just a precaution," the man informed her. He snapped his fingers. Someone, presumably the woman, pulled Reyna to her feet.

The bag made it impossible to see. Reyna felt ready to freak out, but she took a deep breath. Her sight wouldn't help her. All she had was her hearing.

"Walk forward," the woman ordered. Reyna hesitantly took a step forward. After the woman shoved her, she decided to speed up. A door closed behind her.

"Right," the woman said. Reyna made a right turn and walked a few more feet. "Stop."

Reyna stopped walking. To her right, she heard the humming of a vending machine. An elevator dinged, and she was thrown inside. Reyna hit the ground hard and rolled onto her back.

"I'll cooperate," Reyna said. The panic in her voice was only partially from acting. "You don't have to do this, okay?"

"Everyone goes through this," the man explained. He sounded like he was standing right over her. Reyna felt two hands gently help her to her feet. "It is a test, but I think you will pass."

"I could just slip a knife between her ribs," the woman muttered. "That would save us the trouble of wasting our supplies."

"I prefer if the knife was kept in your sheathe," Reyna said quickly. She closed her eyes and was glad that she didn't need to hide the fear on her face.

"Keep it civil," the man hissed to the woman. "We have a new recruit here. I don't want you scaring her off."

Reyna closed her eyes and almost sighed in relief. The man sounded like a leader, and he bought her story. There was a chance that he was just faking it. Reyna closed her eyes tightly and tried to avoid negative thoughts.

After a minute of silence, the elevator opened. Reyna was pulled to her feet and dragged in between the two. She felt them turn left. From the mental map in her head, she knew they were heading towards a side exit.

A door opened. Chilling wind knocked Reyna back to her senses. She lifted her head and heard a car pull up next to them. Reyna heard the door open, and she was thrown inside. The door closed behind her.

Reyna struggled to get into a sitting position. She tried to getting out of the ropes, but it was no use. The rope was cutting into her wrist, and she couldn't do anything about it. The passenger door opened, and someone sat in the car.

"This the newbie?" another woman asked. She had a southern drawl. "Doesn't look like much."

"Better than the one you found," the man answered. "How long did he last? Two seconds?"

"You think some kid is going to last longer?" the woman questioned. The man didn't answer. The only sound from the car was the radio and someone's fingers tapping along to the song.

Reyna closed her eyes and finally managed to sit up. Her eyes closed. They were going to some unknown place. A part of her thought she was going to her execution.

"What's your name?" the man asked. Reyna took deep breaths and tried to calm down.

"Reyna," the daughter of Bellona replied. "Are you going to kill me?"

"No," the man answered. "My name is Ezekiel. We are taking you to our base. If you still want to join, you must pass the test. If not, we throw the bag back over your head and bring you back to the hotel."

"What does this entire thing entail?" Reyna questioned. "The flyer was vague."

"Your answers will come," Ezekiel promised. "If you pass the test."

Reyna closed her eyes again. She shifted and tried to calm herself. Something told her that if she failed the test, she would die.


	5. V

The light almost blinded Reyna as the black bag was torn off of her head. She slowly looked around and blinked painfully. Ezekiel and the woman with the mole were sitting across from her. They were in an empty room with concrete walls.

There was almost nothing in the room other than three chairs and a table. Her right wrist was handcuffed to the chair. It felt like her nose was broken, and she wasn't in the most pleasant of moods.

Reyna looked down at the table in front of her. The only thing on it was a shot glass. Inside, there was gold liquid. Reyna slowly looked at Ezekiel.

"What is this?" Reyna slowly asked. She glanced behind her and saw a large man blocking the door. There was no way that Reyna could escape.

"This is your trial," Ezekiel answered. "How well versed are you in history?"

"I've ready some books," Reyna said with a shrug. She glanced back down at the metal table. Her reflection stared back at her. Truthfully, she could pull off the kid that had a bad home life look. Reyna knew how it felt.

"Have you ever heard of Mithridates?" Ezekiel asked. Reyna knew all about the poison king, but she shook her head. It would be best to play dumb and hope they gave her relevant information.

"He was a king back in the times of ancient Rome," Ezekiel explained. "He went to war with the Romans, but that is not the important part. Mithridates did something very interesting. Can you guess what it was?"

"Created the shot glass," Reyna guessed with a shrug. She slowly picked up the shot glass with her left hand. "Or, he created whatever this is."

"His idea inspired your trial," Ezekiel answered. Reyna's heart almost stopped. She knew exactly what was in the shot glass: poison.

Everyday, Mithridates would drink a small amount of poison. The idea was that he would slowly build a resistance up to poison. That didn't explain why the cult did it.

Were they just trying to weed out people they considered weak? Were they just insane? Either way, Reyna didn't like it. The thought of drinking poison made her sick to her stomach. She placed the shot glass back down on the table.

"Mithridates was called the poison king. He drank a small bit of poison everyday to help himself become resistant. That is your task," Ezekiel said. "If you cannot survive this, you cannot hope to survive becoming a full member."

"So, you freaks just drink poison?" Reyna questioned. "What's the gold stuff?"

"That's the real killer," the woman responded. "Most people can drink the poison with only a little of screaming. If they are not strong enough, that gold stuff literally burns them up."

"Reyna, do you believe in gods?" Ezekiel answered. Reyna leaned back in her seat and raised an eyebrow. She contemplated how to answer the question.

"Do you mean the big man upstairs?" Reyna questioned. "Only when I'm in trouble."

Ezekiel laughed as if he found her answer amusing. He leaned forward and spoke, "Gods. As in multiple ones. The same ones from the classics you read."

"Are you telling me that Jupiter is running around with every chick he can find?" Reyna questioned with a raised eyebrow. It took her a moment to realize she had used the name Jupiter. She knew some random kid would probably know the gods by their Greek names. There was a chance Ezekiel would catch onto the mistake.

"We call him Zeus, but that is exactly right," Ezekiel said. He watched her for a moment before he smiled. Reyna almost let out a shaky breath.

"Looks like someone here read the Aeneid," the woman commented. She watched Reyna with almost a new respect.

"Stole it from the library," Reyna replied with a shrug. "That doesn't explain how these gods supposedly exist. They're just a myth."

"They are very real, and their blood is in that glass," Ezekiel informed. Reyna looked back at the glass in surprise. She also felt sick. It seemed like the cult lived up to their name.

"You guys are crazy," Reyna stated. "That's insane. They can't exist. Your flyer simply said that this entire thing would allow people to find new experiences."

"I'm guessing you aren't well versed in Ancient Greek," Ezekiel assumed. He didn't know how wrong he was. "There was more to the flyer than that."

Reyna watched the two with a bad feeling in her gut. She spoke, "Let's say I believe you about this whole gods thing. Where did you even get their blood?"

"We have a way," Ezekiel answered. "Now, you have to drink that glass. That's all you must do to join us. Would you like to back out?"

On the inside, Reyna was freaking out. Golden ichor was not meant for mortals to drink. It could literally kill them because it was the blood of the gods.

Golden ichor probably wasn't good for demigods either. It might not kill Reyna, but it wouldn't do her any favors. When that was combined with poison, Reyna knew she was in a for a bad day.

"All you have to do is finish the glass," the woman taunted. It seemed like she was back to hating Reyna. In fact, she even sneered at the daughter of Bellona. "You'll love it."

"Easy," Reyna said. She placed a hand to the glass. It was hard to hide the fact that her hand was shaking. She also hesitated to lift it.

"Scared?" the woman wondered. She leaned forward and seemed to be waiting. Reyna glanced at her and glared.

"Anna, enough," Ezekiel said. The woman, Anna, rolled her eyes, but she once again glared at Reyna.

"Bottoms up," Reyna answered. Before common sense could stop her, she lifted the shot glass and drank the poison. The taste alone made her gag. Then, a burning sensation began in her throat.

"You won't last five seconds," Anna promised. Reyna couldn't respond as the burning sensation turned to pain. The pain traveled to her gut, and it overwhelmed her other senses. The last thing Reyna saw before she lost consciousness was Ezekiel watching her closely.

* * *

Reyna woke up to coughing her lungs out. She quickly looked around feeling sick. It took her a moment to realize she was going to be sick. After that, she realized she was in a car.

The car came to a sudden stop. Reyna lifted her head as she heard the door open. After a moment, she was thrown out of the car. Reyna hit the ground and turned on her stomach. She was only able to get to her knees before she was vomiting her guts out.

"Good thing you didn't do that in my car," Anna commented. Reyna tried to stand, and she felt two hands grab onto her shoulder. The centurion turned away and had a coughing fit. She spat some of the golden ichor out.

"You people are sick," Reyna muttered before she had another coughing fit. Anna grabbed her and threw her back into the car. Reyna laid her head back and stared at the ceiling.

It seemed like Anna was the only one in the car. Reyna spoke, "Did I pass?"

"Are you still alive?" Anna sneered. Reyna coughed again and thought about her response.

"I don't feel like it," Reyna admitted. She slowly tried to sit up. The pain in her gut stopped her. "Where are we going?"

"Back to the hotel," Anna replied. "You need to have a conversation with your siblings."

"Ezekiel told me I would have to turn my back on them," Reyna muttered painfully. She tried to sit up again but made no progress. More coughing soon followed.

"He finds your family interesting," Anna answered. "You are going to convince them to join, or else."

Reyna laid her head against the seat. The pain made it hard to think. She didn't know why the cult now wanted Gwen and Jason to join. If it got the three of them into the cult and able to find Ceres, it would be worth it.

"What happens if I can't convince them?" Reyna slowly asked. She felt the car stop. The door opened a moment later, and Anna pulled her out of the car. Reyna collapsed against her.

"We kill them," Anna whispered. Reyna stared up at her in surprise. She was thrown towards the hotel door a moment later. It took her a few moments to get to her feet.

"You're not going to touch them," Reyna warned. Anna laughed in her face. Then, she slammed her head into Reyna's.

Reyna fell backwards completely stunned. Two hands pulled her up, and she was dragged inside. Anna slammed her fist in the button for the elevator. She spoke, "You think that you can tell me what to do?"

"Why do you hate me?" Reyna asked as she was thrown into the elevator. She tried to blink away the dizziness from the headbutt. It didn't help much.

"You look like you're fourteen," Anna hissed. "And, Ezekiel thinks you should join us. I think we should have just killed you. Or, we should have cut out your tongue."

Reyna glared up at Anna. Then, light reflected off of the edge of a knife. The centurion scooted backwards and moved a hand towards her belt. Her hand gripped her pocketknife.

"You are not worthy to share in our gift," Anna hissed. "All of us have earned our place. You have done nothing, and yet, Ezekiel allowed you to join."

If Anna didn't have a knife, Reyna would have responded. Instead, her eyes stayed focused on the knife. The cult was crazy, and it seemed like they would do anything.

"Are you going to kill me?" Reyna asked. Her voice wasn't as strong as she wanted it be. Faster than she could blink, Anna grabbed her by her shirt and placed the knife to her neck.

"When you give me one reason to, I will," Anna promised. The knife moved as the elevator door opened. Reyna was dragged out of the elevator and towards her room. She felt Anna grab the key from her pocket.

"Goodnight," Anna hissed as she opened the door. She shoved Reyna inside.

"What?" Reyna asked turning towards Anna. A fist slammed into her face, and Reyna fell backwards. The last thing she felt was Anna's foot slamming into her face.


	6. VI

Gwen glanced down at the flyer in her hand. Trying to read the words made her head hurt. Ancient Greek was something she never wanted to learn. She lowered the flyer and rubbed her eyes.

"The professor should be heading back from his class," Jason commented as he looked down at the paper in his hands. One of the college students had been kind enough to write them directions on how to get to the professor's office and the time he would be back. Now, it was a waiting game.

Waiting did not sit well with Gwen. She was extremely worried about Reyna. The daughter of Bellona was alone in a hotel full of cultists. Gwen really regretted that decision. They had strength in numbers, but her rushed decision divided them.

Footsteps echoed off of the marble floors. Gwen looked up and saw an older man walking towards them. He had to be in his sixties just because of how gray his hair was. His eyes were a light green.

"Can I help you two?" the man questioned. He watched them confused. Gwen knew that they didn't look like they should have been at a college. Well, Jason didn't.

"Well, I know this is kind of weird," Gwen began. Her tone was kept low, so she wouldn't attract the attention of anyone that was walking by. "But, my family is working on a play for charity. It's to keep our animal shelter open."

The professor studied them for a long moment. He seemed completely perplexed. That was either good or bad. Gwen decided that they should keep going with their plan. She nudged Jason.

"We wanted to know if you can proofread our flyer," Jason continued. "It's something we will pass out at the end of the play for our next event. We know that you are like the only one in this state that can properly translate Greek."

"Would you please look at our flyer?" Gwen finished with a small smile. She thought they did pretty good. The professor finally nodded and held his hand out for the flyer. Gwen handed it to him.

As soon as his eyes hit the flyer, his face turned pale. He spoke, "Are you here to check up on me? I haven't told anyone. I swear on my kid's life."

Gwen exchanged glances with Jason. This was the exact opposite of what she expected. Her mind started to race, and she met the professor's eyes.

"What do you mean?" Gwen questioned. The professor swallowed painfully and looked around. He motioned for them to walk into his office. When he opened the door, the two demigods complied.

All Gwen saw was books. There was bookcases covering every inch of wall. A desk sat in the middle of the room with one office chair behind it and two normal chairs in front of it. The professor closed and locked his door.

"How did you get this?" the professor demanded. He was literally shaking as he looked at them. Gwen watched him closely.

"What do you know about this?" Gwen asked. "If you answer our questions, we won't tell the cult about where our information came from."

"A man named Ezekiel came into my office about two weeks ago," the professor began. He sat down. His face was as pale as the snow that was starting to fall outside. "He asked me to do a translation for this flyer."

"Ezekiel threatened my family," the professor continued. "He said that he would kill them if I did not translate the flyer."

"We won't let him hurt your family," Jason promised. Gwen fell silent. That was a promise that they might not be able to keep. They would do their best though.

The professor closed his eyes and spoke, "The flyer states that anyone can find new experiences. They must drink the blood to become anew. It will allow them to live life to the fullest and become something new."

"Do you know anything else about them?" Gwen asked. She looked down at the flyer. The date on it would happen in two days. The address was in English, so they could just look it up.

"Well, they met me from my girlfriend. I think she met them at a bar as she was drowning her sorrows in alcohol. Her kid died a few months ago," the professor answered. "Oh, they will kill anyone who crosses them."

Gwen nodded as her worst fear was confirmed. They had left Reyna alone in a hotel full of psychopaths. The daughter of Bellona could fend for herself, but she was outnumbered. Gwen made her next decision quickly.

"Jason, we should get going," Gwen said. She took the flyer back. "Professor, we would like to thank you for your time, and we will not tell the cult about you."

"Thank you," the professor whispered. Blood started to return to his face. He nodded to them and started to pull papers out of his bag. Gwen grabbed Jason's arm and led him towards the door. After unlocking it, they walked out of the office.

The two silently walked through the hallways. Jason would nudge her in the direction they had to go, but he knew not to talk. Gwen's mind raced, and it showed on her face.

They had learned nothing about the cult from the professor. The flyer seemed to be an advertisement, but that didn't really help them. Gwen rubbed her eyes. This had been a big mistake.

"We need to get back to the hotel," Gwen said. She quickened her pace, and it only took a few minutes to make it outside. It took all of her willpower to keep from breaking out in a jog. Her mind was making her think the worst had happened.

Gwen's worry only made the long walk to the car even worse. Jason could see that she was nervous, and he looked like he was thinking hard. As they made it to the car, he spoke, "She'll be fine."

"We don't know," Gwen muttered. She unlocked the car and opened the door. They both sat inside. Gwen buckled her seat belt and started the car. A deep breath helped calm her mind.

Gwen started to drive. She spoke, "What do you think our next step should be?"

"We find out what Reyna knows," Jason responded. It was the safe answer, and Jason knew that. He seemed to be buying time. "I think we should just use that information and go from there."

"Agreed," Gwen said. She turned up the radio, and a content mood settled over the two. Gwen's mind was no longer freaking her out. Reyna could handle herself.

Gwen and Jason made small talk on the way back to the hotel. If they talked about the cult, it would only serve to create paranoia. The best idea was to hear about Reyna's progress in contacting the cult.

It took thirty minutes to reach the hotel. Gwen pulled into the nearest parking space. She put the car into park and turned off the engine. Out of caution, she looked around for anyone.

Lupa had taught her the skill. Anyone who was sitting on a bench and reading a paper was probably doing surveillance. If they held a phone, they were probably also doing surveillance. Gwen didn't see anyone like that.

The two benches by the entrance were empty. Someone was smoking, but they were too busy coughing their lungs out to watch anything. No one sat in a car, so Gwen assumed they were safe. She stepped out of the car.

Gwen locked the car and led Jason into the hotel. She noticed that the smoker had stopped coughing and was watching them. It seemed like he was doing surveillance. The smoker didn't follow them into the hotel though.

"Did you notice him?" Jason whispered. Gwen nodded. "It seems like they are keeping tabs on when we leave and come back. They didn't follow us though."

"They may have," Gwen whispered back. They reached the elevator and pressed a button. The door opened, and the woman with the mole stood in front of them. She walked by them without a word.

Jason exchanged glances with Gwen. They both came to a mutual agreement and turned towards the stairs. As soon as they opened the door to the stairs, Jason was running up them. Gwen followed right behind, and she started to overtake him.

Gwen saw their floor, and she slammed into the door. She forced herself to walk towards their hotel room. Jason passed her up and grabbed the hotel card from his pocket. He jammed it into the door and opened it.

The door didn't open all the way. It hit something solid. A curse left Gwen's mouth, and she slipped into the room. Reyna was laying curled up on the ground. Blood covered her shirt and the lower half of her face.

"Reyna," Gwen whispered. She knelt by her fellow centurion and placed a hand to her back. Reyna slowly looked up at her. There was a disoriented look in her eyes. "What happened?"

"I joined the cult," Reyna slowly replied. Jason and Gwen helped her stand. They both guided her towards the bathroom. Gwen sat Reyna down on the toilet.

"Is this part of their initiation process?" Jason asked. He turned on the faucet and grabbed a white towel. After examining it for a few moments, Jason put it under the water.

"No," Reyna responded. She turned her head and spat out blood. There was something golden in it. "They make you drink poison and ichor."

"What?" Gwen demanded. "They make you drink ichor? The blood of the gods? And poison?"

Reyna nodded and spoke, "It wasn't too bad. They threatened to kill you two if you guys didn't join. I don't know why though. Ezekiel, the possible leader, told me I would have to leave you two behind. Then, he changed his mind."

Gwen examined the bruises on Reyna's neck. She stared for a few moments as anger boiled in her chest. Jason handed the towel to Reyna, and she placed it to her nose.

"The woman with the mole, Anna, kicked the crap out of me. She had a little mini interrogation where she drove her knee into my neck," Reyna muttered. She turned away and started coughing more. Reyna winced in pain and closed her eyes.

"How do you feel?" Gwen wondered. Reyna looked terrible. Along with all of the blood, her face was pale. A nod was all Gwen received, but it was a clear lie. "Let's lay you down."

"The cult," Reyna began. She tried to stand but almost fell. Jason grabbed her arm to help steady her. "We have to deal with them."

"Later," Gwen said. "I'm going to order room service. You are going to rest. When you wake up, we can talk about what happened."

Reyna looked too exhausted to argue. She didn't fight as the two led her to a bed. Gwen laid her down. Reyna watched them for a moment, and her eyes slowly closed.

Jason sat on the opposite bed and watched Reyna concerned. He would look away and pretend to focus on something else before looking back at her. His fist were clenched in anger. Jason seemed to be blaming himself for Reyna's injuries.

Gwen turned away and closed her eyes tightly. She had made a mistake by splitting them up. Reyna paid for that mistake. It was something that Gwen would not repeat.


	7. VII

For the past ten minutes, Jason had been staring at a vending machine. He wasn't registering any of the options, since his focus was on Reyna. They had left her behind, and it had been a mistake. Jason rubbed his temples and sighed deeply. Someone tapped his arm.

"Mister, are you going to get anything?" a child asked. Jason turned his head to look at the little girl. He shook his head and stepped to the side. The little girl smiled at him and walked up to the vending machine.

Jason watched her for a moment. Honestly, he was a little jealous. This little girl probably had the childhood he would never get. She probably had a mom and dad that loved her. She probably went to school everyday.

That was something Jason never had. He had been raised by literal wolves and sent to Camp Jupiter. There was no such thing as a childhood. The innocence one would have as a child was erased by Lupa, and it had to be that way. They had to be strong.

Jason looked away from the little girl. That last thing he needed was to look like a creep. A sigh escaped as he walked back to the hotel room. It was only seven in the morning, but he had been unable to sleep for the past three hours. As Jason made it to the door, it opened in front of him. He came face to face with Reyna.

"Morning," Jason said after a moment. Reyna looked much better than she had before. The color was back to her face, and all of the blood had been cleaned up. The bruise on her neck was still there, and it seemed like it would take a few days to heal. There was also bruising around her nose. She still looked much better than she had the night before.

Jason examined Reyna's face, and he found himself lost in Reyna's black eyes. Since they were in different cohorts, they didn't interact much, but that didn't stop Jason from having a crush on the daughter of Bellona. There was a million things that Jason wanted to know about Reyna. What was her life like before Camp Jupiter? How was it being the only child of Bellona? Did she feel the crushing weight of responsibility that Jason felt everyday of his life?

"Jason," Reyna said. Jason blinked back to reality. He realized that he had completely zoned out and missed the question that Reyna asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Jason replied. "What about you? You got beat up pretty badly yesterday."

"Considering I won't be drinking anymore poison, I'll live," Reyna answered. Jason nodded. Then, he realized that he was the one who would be drinking poison A shiver ran down his spine, and he swallowed painfully.

"How bad was it?" Jason questioned. He watched Reyna, and his palms started to sweat. There was something about the daughter of Bellona that made him nervous. He could face down any monster in the world, but when it came to a girl, he found himself locking up.

Jason didn't even know if Reyna liked guys. Whenever he had commented that Gwen was looking really gorgeous, Reyna agreed without a second thought. She had also been flirting with some of the girls at Camp Jupiter, but Jason didn't know if she realized that.

"It was as bad as one would imagine," Reyna replied with a shrug. She stepped to the side and allowed him into the room. Jason stepped inside and saw that Gwen was making coffee.

"What is our next step?" Jason questioned. He watched Reyna glance around the hallway and close the door. She leaned on the door and watched them. The room was silent for a few moments.

"Reyna, can you tell us what happened?" Gwen asked. Reyna nodded. She told them what had happened during her time with the cult. As Jason listened, he grew angrier and angrier, and when it came to the end of the story, he wanted to go find Anna and make her pay for putting her hands on his friend.

"I don't like how Ezekiel changed his mind," Gwen muttered. She finished the coffee and poured some for all three of them. "But, I think it is our best shot. I say that we go for it."

"Should I find Ezekiel and tell him that you decided to join?" Reyna questioned. Jason glanced at Gwen as she nodded. A bad feeling settled in his gut. It felt like a trap, but there was no way that the cult could know who they were.

Reyna walked out of the room. Jason sat on a bed and spoke, "Once we are in the cult, what are we going to do?"

"We need to find Ceres," Gwen replied. "I don't know from there. We will have to improvise, and that leaves a lot of room for error."

"What if they don't have her?" Jason asked. "This could just be a bait and switch. Someone leads a trail to the cult, and we follow it. Then, we can't stop them with whatever they do."

"That is a possibility," Gwen admitted. "Either way, the cult is dangerous. If Ceres is not there, we will send a message to the praetors asking what we should do? I feel that the cult must be destroyed either way."

Jason nodded and laid back on the bed. He glanced around the room. Their weapons and armor were under the bed and in duffel bags. No one would notice them, unless they were searching the room.

The son of Jupiter sighed deeply. He allowed himself to relax. Camp Jupiter didn't afford many opportunities to lay around. Centurions had it ten times worse. They had to keep track of everyone in their cohort. Centurions were the first ones awake and the last ones asleep. They also kept up training throughout their cohort.

After a few minutes of silence, the door opened. Jason looked up as Reyna was shoved into the room. A woman followed behind. She looked around and glared.

"You two are going to join us?" the woman demanded. From her looks and manner of speaking, she had to be Anna. "You don't look like much."

"You're the one who hurt Reyna," Jason said as he stood. He didn't have to act like he was angry. Anna looked at him and smiled. A man walked in behind her, and Jason knew it was Ezekiel.

"Peace," Ezekiel said holding his hand up. "What you must understand is that you two are about to join our brotherhood. We will all become a family, and we will forge you two on a path of new life."

"If we don't, you kill us," Gwen said standing. "That's a nice opening to a new life. How do we know we can trust you?"

"We haven't kill you yet, have we?" Anna questioned. "You're little sister is alive and mostly well."

"It is fair that they have questions and doubts," Ezekiel said, as he held up a hand. "Mortals have a hard time understanding our views. If you two pass our initiation, we will explain everything about us. And, you two have no reason to trust us, but we must all take chances in our lives."

Gwen looked at Jason, and it seemed like she was hesitating. Jason thought it was because of the fact that they needed to drink poison, which he didn't blame her for. Then, he realized that Gwen was considering taking the cult members out then and there. While it was a good idea, they still didn't know where the cult's base was, so they couldn't chance it.

After a few seconds, Gwen seemed to realize that. She gave Ezekiel a slight nod and spoke, "Will you give us a safe place to stay?"

"Of course," Ezekiel replied. "We have a compound that we meet at weekly. You three can stay there, and we can help you three finds jobs and education. Once you join us, you become apart of our family."

"We'll join," Gwen said. Ezekiel smiled at them and reached into his pocket. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, and in his palm, he held four different vials. Anna grabbed the small cups they had used for coffee. She poured the coffee out and filled it up with some water. Ezekiel added the liquid from the two vials to one cup and the other two vials to the other cup.

Jason swallowed painfully. This was something that he was not looking forward to. The entire thought of drinking poison was not okay. It freaked him out. He took a deep breath.

"If you survive, you join," Ezekiel said. He handed Gwen a cup. It took a moment for Gwen to grab it, bur she drank the cup without hesitation. She immediately fell to her hands and knees coughing. Jason rushed forward, but Ezekiel grabbed his arm. "Your turn."

Jason slowly looked at the cup. He finally grabbed it and took a deep breath. Jason drank the cup in one gulp. Fire burned in the back of his throat, and it slowly spread throughout his body. He stumbled to the side, and the world disappeared into darkness.


End file.
